Fang Zhi, the sect's grand elder, had summoned Huang Lingbo to his quarters.
Seated cross-legged, he sipped mercury wine, his bright golden eyes as serious as ever, in stark contrast to the serene atmosphere of his exquisite chamber.
"Please sit down. Want some?" He offered his disciple a cup. Porcelain, adorned with gold, of course.
"I'm upholding the ascesis right now, master. Hoping to break through in a month or two. Might make it on time." Huang Lingbo looked tired, his usually thick and well-maintained hair was now kept down around his shoulders, creating a messy mane. Even his sword-like eyebrows looked dishevelled. For the past few weeks, he had been meticulously juggling his own cultivation and sect business together, which left him quite battered.
"I've read the reports the kids wrote, and I've got some questions for you."
"Yes... I expected to be briefed about this mission."
"Well, what do you think the problem is?"
"I think the whole mission was a blunder, but we had our hand forced. If we didn't match their patrols near the Central border, they'd invade by now."
"Look, Taowei dying makes sense. Can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. It's regrettable, but understandable. Master Lu dying was also a long time coming, to be brutally honest. It's not why I'm frustrated, Lingbo." Despite being rank three, Fang Zhi chose to not use titles or surnames in private.
"Then please enlighten me, master."
"As you know, two of your students have broken through during that mission. One is your unbeloved Rui Ming, the Windsplitter. The second is Wu Lei. Got anything to say about it? I personally find this a bit unusual."
"Look... I don't hate Rui Ming. I just think we haven't tamed him properly. And this Lei, other than being a merchant guild spy, is also quite a maverick. Still, they are both decent talents, and them ascending doesn't shock me too much. It's still just rank one, after all."
"Oh, you see, that's not my issue. Rui Ming broke through after being inspired, directly in combat. Wu Lei has found a hidden rank three treasure and consumed it to break through, all while besieged by a powerful enemy. Is this luck or not? Hard to tell."
"Well, what's the exact issue?"
"They are both crediting their friend, disciple Xin. Saying that he played a crucial role in their ascendance. Despite some negativity, every single squad member had commended him for his contributions. It seems that something about him pushed the others to step their game up, and he brought out the best in them."
"That boy Xin is a big talent, but he's still not guaranteed to succeed, though. There are plenty of pitfalls he could fall into. But I am glad that he progressed so much."
"Yes, but look at this." Fang Zhi handed him Xin's report papers. Some of the juiciest parts were already underlined.
"By the ancestors... The boy is unhinged." Huang Lingbo laughed nervously as he skimmed through what Xin wrote. "Think it's the post-combat stress making him act up?"
"Very likely. But what I draw from this, and consulting the other masters, is something entirely different. Master Xie Xiaodan believes that Xin is an exceptional talent and has a righteous soul, but I see it differently. As for me, he is a demon in the making."
"That Feng Chonglin thing, right. Both Wu Lei and disciple Xin were involved. You think they weren't just subordinates, but were involved on a deeper level?" Huang Lingbo rubbed the tip of his shard beard, frowning.
After a few moments of contemplation, he continued:
"Now that I look at his report, I see a similar style of execution. Brutal efficiency, cynical approach, extremely steadfast. I don't know if that old demon Chonglin has infected him, or if he was already like that, but the truth is evident to me — once Xin matures, we'll have a wildcard on our hands. And that Wu Lei kid, he isn't much different. Add the Windsplitter into the mix, you get quite a troublesome generation growing up. This needs to be dealt with."
"Yes, I agree. Sadly, this is the reality of being forced to accept the outsiders. We took Rui Ming in when he came alone, hoping we'd assimilate him. Now that we've taken in several other agents of change, this process is much harder. It's good that we're discussing this now, before it becomes a serious issue."
"This Xin..." Master Lingbo had put the report down. "He bashes our institutions openly, no sugarcoating whatsoever. You know, I actually agree with much of what's written here, but he doesn't understand the reasons behind things being this way. It seems that he hasn't made his opinions public, and is trying to communicate in good faith, in his own, brutish style.
It would be wise to make him more refined. If we suppress him and Rui Ming for their attitude, they can start holding a grudge. And our sect needs combat talents more than ever. I propose carefully guiding them towards the proper ways, while also strictly humbling them down for every show of insubordination."
"There is something else about him that concerns me. As I've learned, the Iron Fairy tried recruiting him. Offered to adopt him into her clan by marrying one of her relatives. I know that you fancy this woman, Lingno, so you might find this piece of information interesting."
"Tried? So, she didn't manage? She never mentioned this plot to me." Huang Lingbo raised an eyebrow. It now looked like a saber.
"Yes, he declined. Everyone in the sect was confident she'll make it to rank three, people were inviting her to banquets and exchanging favours with her, she was the hottest prospect in the sect for the past few months. Somehow, he avoided her. And he was the only one to bet on her failure. Now her faction is in shambles, and it will take at least half a year for her to recover physically. At least she kept what's left of her core and is still rank two."
"She... isn't taking it well. She's demoralised, aged by ten years by the looks of it. I see no playfulness or ambition in her eyes now, just regret. We were all naive to take a rank three breakthrough for granted."
"But her? Failing on a human qi stage? I always considered her stronger than me, but somehow I managed to ascend, and she didn't. You never know who'll crack and who'll succeed. As I age, I am not sure the shape of the person's exterior correlates with how durable the interior is. At all." He sighed and took another sip of mercury wine.
"But that whole squad, what do we do with them? Let me manage this, I want Xiaodan to rest." Even if he was his romantic rival, he still cared for his friend.
"Give them a hundred fifty spirit stones for the iron mantis, threaten to take it away by force if they don't accept. Here is the contributions list, I constructed it in a very specific manner, with a specific goal in mind."
"Oh, may I see?"
"May? You have to. Take it and stick it to the notice board." He handed him a scroll.
Huang Lingbo opened it.
"Mission rewards list, contribution points:
Temporary master Rui Ming — 25 contribution points, promoted to master proper.
External master Wu Lei — 20 contribution points, promoted to master proper.
External Master Tu Qiang — 15 contribution points.
Internal disciple Xin — 15 contribution points.
Internal disciple Murong Zhan — 10 contribution points.
Internal disciple Wu Xiaoyun — 10 contribution points.
Internal disciple Yao Nang — 9 contribution points.
"Well, that's somewhat generous for the top two guys. What's that with Tu Qiang and Xin?"
"To elevate one above the other would create more division, and cause a big loss of reputation for the one who lost. Certainly, Xin deserves more, but we can't reward him too much. He is yet to break through, we can't get his hopes up or elevate his status just yet. He is already under a lot of pressure due to everyone's expectations. Giving disciple Xin as many points as Tu Qiang already humiliates master Qiang, and pushes him to get better. I think it's an optimal way to communicate how we feel about this whole ordeal."
"I agree with this approach, master knows how to communicate with the public." Huang Lingbo nodded in approval.
"When it comes to disciple Nang, I don't want to financially hinder her too much, so I took a spirit stone away from her, just to put her at the bottom of the list. She either overcomes this predicament or wallows in her frustration, it's not my problem. She's clearly underachieving, relative to her talent.
Overall, they've already obtained a generous bounty for the mantis yaoguai, and we suspect disciple Xin had sold his organs for a hefty sum, so we see no need to reward them too much. And a promotion of the two fresh masters straight into proper masters is a good way to reward them without spending money. And, seeing that Wu Lei had his talent and contributions recognized, other external masters will try harder."
"Thank you for explaining your thought process, master. I feel enlightened. Usually, when it comes to politics, you have to observe and make your own conclusions, and since everyone is trying to play this game, they seldom explain their true reasoning. But you combine cunning and a sense of righteousness, all while explaining it in simple terms. I respect this a lot." Huang Lingbo heaped praise upon his master. There was no sign of that snark he threw at his students during the lectures.
"That's it for now, you're free to leave. I've got a ton of stuff to do, and I'm just a single man, my rank three core is of no use in this matter." Fang Zhi sighed.
Huang Lingbo held a blank expression. Did the master call me up just to warn me about Xin being a potential demon? Can't be just that. He also shared his political insights, so he might be expecting something in return?
"Master, may I assist you in something?"
"I'm not sure. We're still looking for potential mercenaries, but the market has dried up. We're also working on the attitude of one of the capital's inspectors towards us. We've caught a sniff of who'll be assigned to our area in case of a conflict with the Fist sect, and having an inspector on our side would be more useful than ever, the new laws and all that."
The warfare among the righteous factions was heavily regulated. It was forbidden to attack the opponents of a lower rank, and every person breaking one of the numerous rules would be marked by the capital's bureaucrat overseeing the battlefield.
Depending on the severity of the offence, the punishment ranged from just removing the combat immunity (meaning a mortal could be attacked by a rank three master with no consequences) to an outright death sentence (The inspectors never executed the sentence themselves, it was reported to the capital, where a due process would be started.).
"The inspector? The Heavenly Gaze Temple isn't as incorruptible as people claim. It would be hard to bribe them directly, but it would be possible to make their attitude towards us more lax."
"Our faction is certainly strong enough to rival the Divine Sword sect financially, it's the capital politics that will be a problem. With lady Meiling injured, I'm looking for people to send as representatives to lobby our cause in the capital. Would you be interested?"
Huang Lingbo was startled:
"Me? Master Zhi, I'm a mediocre diplomat, yet to master the arts of intrigue. I feel like I am of more use in teaching or on the battlefield. Still, I will respect any assignment sent my way, and execute it diligently and obediently." He lowered his head.
"Spare me this pointless humility, Lingbo. You're forty five years old! It's time for you to grow into bigger pants. We need another agent in the capital, and not just for this conflict. We've managed to function by staying subtle enough to not be affected by global politics, but now that the attention is drawn to us, we have to spend more and raise our prestige, in all aspects. But that's not the whole assignment."
Huang Lingbo recomposed and nodded:
"I'm listening. What else?"
"At a certain point before the invasion predicted by the emperor's Edict, there will be a continent-wide grand tournament. I expect you to rank up to rank three and begin your training in the capital, as you'll likely be one of the masters representing us."
Huang Lingbo was shocked. He wasn't even the strongest rank two master of their sect, and the sect had four other rank three masters, all with more cultivation depth than him. What's the point of this maneuver?
"I accept, of course. It's a great honour. What made you support me over Daoist Tong and Xie Xiaodan, though?" He was careful to not mention any of the rank three masters, and mentioned the two rank two masters with the strongest combat reputation.
"You're the only one with enough mental capacity and spacial awareness to use our sect's unique methods, and the only one fitting the requirements of our benefactor. Master Tong and master Xiaodan's abilities don't translate as well to the power of rank three fighters. I've explained enough. I'll prepare the paperwork and send you to the capital. You're free to go now."
"Who is that benefactor you are talking about?" Huang Lingbo was dying from curiosity.
"All will be revealed in time. Have some patience."